Monthly Archives: May 2012

Essay Competition By The Journal Development

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Attention young and early-career science writers with a recent background in developmental biology, this is an essay competition tailor-made for you. Run by the prestigious journal, Development, and its sister community website, the Node, the essay competition has as theme: developments in development.

More information from Developments online editor, Eva Amsen follows.

All the best!

The essay competition developments in development is the perfect opportunity for aspiring science writers with a recent background in developmental biology. This is your chance to show off your writing skills and take advantage of your experience in the lab!

Over the past decades, developmental biology has changed a lot. There are different tools, different types of experiments, collaborations with different disciplines, and differences in funding and publication of research. But which changes are still to come? What will the future bring?

If youd like to share your thoughts about the future of the field, please see the full contest details on the Node.

This competition is hosted by the journal Development and by the Nodethe community site for and by developmental biologists. That means that the audience will be (other) researcherskeep that in mind while writing! Submission is open to anyone who is involved in developmental biology research or related fields (such as stem cell science or genetics), or has been within the past three years. That includes lab heads, postdocs, and PhD students, but also new science writers who recently left the lab.

Initial submissions will be judged by Olivier Pourqui, who is the Editor-in-Chief of Development, and by Claire Ainsworth, a freelance science writer (formerly at New Scientist and Nature) with a developmental biology background. They will be looking for well-written essays that convey an interesting take on what the future holds for developmental biologists. Your essay can focus on the future of a particular subfield of developmental biology, emerging techniques or model organisms, changes in science policy that affect the field, or anything else that you see as affecting the future of the discipline.

A shortlist of the best few essays will then be posted on the Node, and readers of the Nodewho are mostly developmental biologists themselveswill have the final vote to decide the winner.

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Essay Competition By The Journal Development

Cell biology: How ribosomes override their blockades

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ScienceDaily (May 14, 2012) Ribosomes are "protein factories" in the cells of all living things. They produce proteins based on existing genetic codes stored on special nucleic acid molecules. These molecules, also called messenger RNA (mRNA) due to the genetic information encoded on them, are read by ribosomes in a stepwise manner. Defined start and stop signals on the mRNA direct this process. If a stop signal is missing, protein formation cannot be completed and the ribosome's mode of operation is blocked.

Until now, it was not understood in all details how a ribosome can overcome such a blockade. At the center of this repair process, called Trans-Translation, is an additional nucleic acid molecule (tmRNA) that unites characteristics of mRNA and another nucleic acid molecule, the transferRNA (tRNA). The tRNA transfers the correct amino acids to the respective gene sequence on the mRNA during protein biosynthesis. The tmRNA molecule is thus able to smuggle in the missing stop signal and lift the blockade. It was never exactly clear how this large tmRNA molecule moves through the ribosome and smuggles its information into the ribosome's mRNA channel.

This process could now be documented for the first time using cryo-electron microscopy. This method offers the opportunity to examine the spatial and chronological interaction between individual components of macromolecules. This is done by flash-freezing ribosomes in liquid ethane at -192 Celsius and several hundred-thousand two-dimensional images are projected back into a three-dimensional reconstruction. "With the help of cryo-electron microscopy a unique glimpse of a central key step of the interaction between ribosome, tmRNA, a special protein (SmbP) and the elongation factor G could be attained," explained David Ramrath, doctoral candidate at the Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics at Charit and primary author of the study.

The mRNA channel, in which the tmRNA must smuggle the missing information, goes straight through the ribosome's middle, between the so-called head and body domains of the small ribosomal subunit. Structural analysis showed that cooperation between ribosome and tmRNA in the event of necessary repair is only possible through a change in conformation, that is a short-term and unexpectedly large swivel movement of the ribosome's head domain.

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Prawn peptides are ACE for blood pressure: Rat study

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Peptide extracts from the Arctic prawnPandalus Borealishave demonstrated blood pressure benefits via the,most potent Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibiting peptide concentrate that is reported in scientific literature.

Those results in a small rat study, published in volume 46 of Process Biochemistry in 2011, have prompted a human clinical to be commissioned by the same Norwegian organisation - Nofima .

That hydrolysates-peptides study is due to complete by years end.

ACE inhibitors work by inhibiting the conversion of angiotensin I to the potent vasoconstrictor, angiotensin II, thereby improving blood flow and blood pressure.

Nofima senior scientist and lead author of the study, Asbjrn Gildberg, said the ACE results were significant, although not necessarily linked just to the particular type of shrimp-prawn.

These are the highest seen but hydrolysates from Chinese shrimps have indicated levels almost as good, he said.The human trial data will be very interesting.

Results

The researchers wrote: The measurements by two independent methods both revealed higherin vitroACE inhibitory activity, IC50=0.075 and 0.035mg/ml, respectively, than earlier reported in comparable hydrolysates.

An introductory feeding trial with spontaneously hypertensive rats indicated positivein vivoresults when the rats were given 60mg hydrolysate/kg body weight per day.

Although furtherin vivostudies are necessary to verify the antihypertensive potential, the very highin vitroACE inhibitory activity reveals that the shrimp protein hydrolysate is a promising candidate for nutraceutical application.

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Prawn peptides are ACE for blood pressure: Rat study

John Joseph Scocca, Hopkins biochemistry professor

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John Joseph Scocca, a retired Johns Hopkins biochemistry professor recalled for his keen critical eye, died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease May 10 at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson. He was 72 and lived in Aberdeen.

Born in South Philadelphia, he came to Baltimore in 1958 as a Johns Hopkins University undergraduate and went on to spend his entire career at the school. He earned a bachelor's degree in three years and received a doctorate in biochemistry. He then became a professor at what is now the Bloomberg School of Hygiene and Public Health, where he retired four years ago.

Family members said that in his third year of graduate school, he taught laboratory technique to a group of students that included his future wife, Jane Ruble.

They moved to a home on Monterey Road in Ednor Gardens north of the old Memorial Stadium. He, his wife and children were Orioles fans and enjoyed attending games. In 1977, the family moved to Aberdeen.

Colleagues said that as a professor at the School of Public Health, he taught biochemistry to graduate students from outside the biochemistry department. He called his course "baby biochemistry," but friends said he was a thorough and demanding scientist-teacher. He also valued concise speaking and brevity.

"Perhaps John's most significant contributions involved his 30-year tenure as chief organizer of the laboratory rotations for first-year doctoral students," said a Hopkins colleague, Roger McMacken, who lives near Lake Roland. "John operated a dreaded alarm clock that so loudly, rudely and famously halted student rotation talks precisely 10 minutes after the start of any still-continuing research presentation."

Mr. McMacken said this was an "immensely effective training strategy." By the time the students returned for more oral presentations, they "were virtually all completed before the sound of the jarring alarm clock."

He recalled his favorite "Scocca moment," which involved the annual opening day meeting of the department faculty with an incoming class of doctoral students.

"John, because of his wit, keen sense of humor, candor, and unparalleled scientific integrity, routinely had the honor of describing the department's academic program for first-year students," said Mr. McMacken. "What followed was an impassioned exhortation about the do's and don'ts of laboratory research and academic life. No one, including John, knew precisely what he was going to say. But you could certainly count on 45 minutes of a hilarious, off-the-cuff soliloquy that perpetually was a highlight of academic life for us."

Family members said that his personal research work involved the study of the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae and its interactions.

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John Joseph Scocca, Hopkins biochemistry professor

Volkow, Agre Featured Speakers for Research Days

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Newswise Bethesda, MD Nora D. Volkow, M.D., and Peter Agre, M.D., are this years featured guest speakers for the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) Research Days.

The annual two-day forum encompasses three events -- the USU Graduate School of Nursing research colloquium, graduate student colloquium, and the Faculty Senate Research Day and reflects the complementary roles that basic science, medicine, nursing, public health and behavioral science play in health promotion. Poster presentations, invited speakers and panels demonstrate USUs unique role in civilian, military and public health research initiatives across the health sciences.

On Monday, May 14, Volkow, the director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, since 2003, will present the Presidential Lecture, The Science of Addiction: What Do We Know? Volkow pioneered the use of brain imaging to investigate the toxic effects of drugs and their addictive properties. She has also made important contributions to the neurobiology of obesity, ADHD, and the behavioral changes that occur with aging. Volkow is a member of the Institute of Medicine. Time magazine recently named her one of the "Top 100 People Who Shape our World" and Newsweek magazine included her as one of 20 people to watch in 2007. She was listed in Washingtonian magazine's 2009 and 2011 "100 Most Powerful Women" feature, and named "Innovator of the Year" by U.S. News & World Report in 2000.

Agre will deliver the annual Bullard Lecture, named for former USU associate dean for Graduate and Continuing Education, Dr. John Bullard. Agres lecture, Aquaporin Water Channels: From Atomic Structure to Malaria, will be given on Thursday, May 15. Agre, a molecular biologist, professor of Medicine and director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2003 for his discovery of aquaporins, water-channel proteins that move water molecules through the cell membrane. He is now using his basic science discoveries about aquaporins to understand the role the proteins play in the parasite that causes malaria.

---- The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) is the nations federal health sciences university. USU students are primarily active-duty uniformed officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Public Health Service who have received specialized training in tropical and infectious diseases, preventive medicine, the neurosciences (to include TBI and PTSD), disaster response and humanitarian assistance, and acute trauma care. A large percentage of the universitys more than 4,700 physician and 500 advanced practice nursing alumni are supporting operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, offering their leadership and expertise. USU also has graduate programs in biomedical sciences and public health, open to civilian and military applicants committed to excellence in research, which have awarded more than 375 doctoral and 800 masters degrees to date. For more information, visit http://www.usuhs.mil.

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HIV prevention measures must include behavioral strategies to work, says APA

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Public release date: 14-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Kim Mills kmills@apa.org 202-336-6048 American Psychological Association

WASHINGTON A drug that has been shown to prevent HIV infection in a significant number of cases must be combined with behavioral approaches if the U.S. health care establishment is to succeed in reducing the spread of the virus, according to the American Psychological Association.

"Exclusive reliance on a drug to prevent HIV or any sexually transmitted disease could actually result in a worse outcome if those at risk don't understand how their own behavior affects treatment," said Perry N. Halkitis, PhD, chair of APA's Committee on Psychology and AIDS. "We know that medical intervention depends on human behavior. The fact that only 28 percent of HIV-positive Americans in care achieve full viral suppression suggests very clearly that any medical intervention depends fully on behavioral as well as social and political factors."

A Food and Drug Administration panel recommended on May 10 that the FDA approve the drug Truvada to prevent HIV infection. APA has been monitoring the use of this and other drugs to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS. While heartened by the addition of Truvada to the treatment mix, APA believes HIV prevention treatment must include both medical and behavorial approaches in order to succeed. In February, APA passed a resolution emphasizing the need for prevention research that incorporates strategies to deal with mental health, and substance abuse issues, behavior change and adherence. Entitled "Combination Biomedical and Behavioral Approaches to Optimize HIV Prevention," the resolution calls upon Congress, the executive branch and other governmental and nongovernmental agencies to increase support for further research to identify and disseminate effective strategies to prevent and treat HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

"Truvada by itself is not a magic bullet," Halkitis said. "The research to date shows that individuals taking the drug have had challenges adhering to the need to take it every day. It's also important for anyone taking it as a preventive measure to continue to practice safe sex. These are all behaviors that need to be guided by multidisciplinary health care teams that include psychologists." APA President Suzanne Bennett Johnson, PhD, agreed, warning. "if people taking the drug are not fully adherent and then contract HIV, that could lead to drug resistance."

APA's resolution cites research that shows a combination of behavioral and biomedical approaches work best to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. It references a 2010 study that tested adherence to Truvada within a group of men at high risk for infection, which found that 91 percent of those who later tested positive for HIV showed no detectable levels of the drug in their bloodstream, meaning they were not taking the drug as prescribed.

The resolution also points out that drugs "may be out of reach for certain populations (e.g., human trafficking victims, sex workers, people living in poverty, children, etc.)." According to news reports, Truvada costs between $11,000 and $14,000 per year, making it inaccessible to many.

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The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 137,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare.

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HIV prevention measures must include behavioral strategies to work, says APA

Pollogen’s Cutting-Edge TriPollar RF Technology Device Featured at American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M)

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(PRWEB) May 14, 2012

Pollogen, a global leader in the medical aesthetics market, and Lumiere Medical, a premier U.S. distributor of cutting-edge, clinically-validated technologies, will feature TriPollarthe world's most advanced radiofrequency (RF) technologyat this years American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging and Aesthetic Medicine at the Marriott World Center in Orlando, FL. The technology is now available in the U.S. via a device called Apollo through an exclusive partnership between the two companies.

Pollogen and Lumiere will be located at booth #210 from Thursday, May 17 through Saturday, May 19, where they will feature live demonstrations of TriPollar RF treatments. As the procedure is administered, a cutting-edge thermographic imaging device called the LumiCam will offer visual representation of the Apollos efficient heating of the treatment area with its dense and focused energy field. The LumiCam will show skin temperature reaching and maintaining the ideal temperature window for optimal resultsbetween 40 C and 42 C for facial skin tightening and between 42 C and 44 C for body treatments.

The Apollo powered by TriPollar is FDA-cleared for the non-invasive treatment of mild to moderate facial wrinkles. The 30-minute, no-downtime procedure has been globally embraced for its off-label use on the body with great success in treating cellulite and circumferential reduction. Unlike its competitors, the Apollo is completely pain-free. TriPollar also differs from other technologies because it allows patients of all skin types to achieve measurable anti-aging results.

Patients benefit from both visible immediate and long-term results. The immediate effects include a smoother, tightened appearance and texture. Most clients realize the optimal outcome at the conclusion of the full treatment coursea recommended six to eight sessionswith a noticeable reduction in wrinkles and fine lines, body contouring and lifting of the treatment area, in addition to improved skin tone and texture.

The safety and efficacy of TriPollar treatments have been proven in multiple clinical studies and published in eight peer reviewed articles. A recent U.S. clinical study showed a 97% improvement following a full series of treatments, and 100% of the patients reported that they were satisfied with their results.

For more information, please visit http://www.pollogen.com/Tripollar-RF-Technology/Tripollar-RF-Technology.html or http://www.lumieremed.com.

About Pollogen Pollogen Ltd. is a global leader in the medical aesthetic market providing innovative, safe and effective solutions that enhance and expand the practices of medical aesthetic professionals. The company offers products to address a range of skin treatments under the industrys three premier brands: TriPollar, TriLipo and TriFractional. Pollogen offers a full line of clinically-proven, non-invasive anti-aging facial and body contouring treatment platforms for circumference reduction, cellulite reduction and skin tightening. The companys medical aesthetic devices, Maximus, Apollo, and Regen XL offer customers clinically-proven, safe and effective anti-aging lunchtime beauty treatments that deliver immediate and long-lasting results. With a distribution network in over 60 countries, Pollogen is providing innovative solutions to medical professionals globally.

About Lumiere Medical Lumiere Medical, the premier U.S. distributor of innovative, science-based, clinically validated technologies, presents new revenue opportunities for its customers while providing results which consistently deliver high patient satisfaction. The exclusive U.S. distributor for Pollogen Ltd., Lumiere has recently added the Apollo TriPollar RF device to its distribution network, offering safe and effective anti-aging treatments with both immediate and long-lasting results.

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Pollogen’s Cutting-Edge TriPollar RF Technology Device Featured at American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M)

Spoiler Chat Daily: Grey's Anatomy and Gossip Girl Finale Scoop! Plus, The Walking Dead and More

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MORE: Get the Latest Scoop on Vampire Diaries, Glee, Once Upon a Time and More Courtesy of Our Daily Spoiler Chat!

Chanel in Houston: I'm seriously going to DIE this summer without New Girl scoop to obsess over!! Any suggestions to help save me from a Jess-free three months? Whoa! Well our first suggestion would be that you enroll in some acting classes because it seems like the dramatics come very naturally to you. With that said, we think that you should perfect the art of the slow chicken dance. (Remember that facial expressions are also a key part of the dance.) Then we say you gather all the youths you know and clearly lay out the drinking rules of the "True American" game. Bonus points if you can get your landlord to play too!Lastly we think that every morning you should take at look at this ridiculously cute first-look picture for season two and try to absorb as much of their awesomeness as possible. And this has been Team WWK's guide to the ultimate New Girl summer. You areverywelcome.

MORE: Renewed or Canceled? Your TV Cheat Sheet on the Fate of Your Favorite Shows!

Gretchen: Anything on the Glee season finale would be perfect.We don't want to give too much away, but we will say that we are very excited for Santana's storyline in the final episode of the season.

DevonCarruthers: True Blood, please? Get ready to meet a whole slew of new monsters later in the HBO hit's fifth season as the show is introducing several new fairies(some who bring Jason to their special fairy club!), a few new vamps (including the Minister of the European Vampire League!) a new werewolf with a warning: there's a new breed of vampires in town!

Natafree1994: What's happening with CSI: NY?? Feel free to pop the champagne (or apple cider if you're under 21!) as sources tell us CSI: NY has been picked up for another season. If you don't want to jinx it, keep the champagne on ice until Wednesday, which is when CBS is set to unveil their fall lineup.

Additional reporting by Tierney Bricker, Jenna Mullins, Christina Dowling & Leanne Aguilera

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Spoiler Chat Daily: Grey's Anatomy and Gossip Girl Finale Scoop! Plus, The Walking Dead and More

Anatomy of hack on Google leads Plaxo to up API security

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Summary: A malicious attack aimed at Google but routed through Plaxo highlights the growing importance of API security using the forthcoming OAuth 2.0 protocol, which protects the users credential information.

Address book service Plaxo is moving to shore up its API security after being sucked in as a back-door, silent victim in an attack on Google.

Last week, a spammer armed with stolen credentials for a number of Google accounts routed their attack through Plaxos servers by taking advantage of connections the two maintain and an aging Plaxo authentication mechanism called Address Book (AB) Widget, which enables Plaxo users to import Gmail contacts.

Copyright: Brian Campbell

Given the avenue of the attack, it was hard for Google to detect the malicious traffic being proxied through Plaxos IP address.

The two worked together to dissect the hack and Plaxo has since retired its AB Widget and will update its Plaxo-Google Sync in a few weeks to support OAuth 2.0 and take advantage of its secure authentication capabilities.

The moral of the story is that security should be of paramount concern for APIs as they become a preferred point of integration within the concepts of cloud computing.

To wit, over the past two years, companies such as Twitter, Facebook, Google, Netflix, eBay and NPR have each been processing billions of API calls per day.

OAuth 2.0 is a forthcoming Internet Engineering Task Force specification that uses tokens for authenticating API end-points, which eliminates the need to share credential information among providers.

End-users wont know the technology they are using is OAuth, said Preston Smalley, general manager and head of product for Plaxo. But over time users are becoming more and more sensitive to sharing their user names and passwords with anyone other than their account provider.

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Anatomy of an iTV rumor

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Via Techmeme

FORTUNE -- It is perhaps a measure of how badly broken today's commercial TV viewing experience is -- the cookie-cutter sitcoms, the ridiculous reality shows,the ever-shifting channel line-ups, the relentless, merciless commercial breaks -- that the tech press is so desperate to believe even the slimmest rumor that Apple (AAPL) is getting ready to solve all that by building its own television set.

Take, for example, last week's report that Hon Hai chairman Terry Gou announced at a press conference in Shanghai that his Foxconn subsidiary was "making preparations for iTV."

By Friday the report had spawned dozens of headlines. A sample:

What none of these reporters mentioned (or apparently bothered to consider) is that Gou -- whose factories assemble 40% of the world's electronic devices -- is one of the industry's most secretive executives. He is privy to the future product plans of the most valuable electronics brands -- not just Apple, but also Sony (SNE), Microsoft (MSFT), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) and the rest. He is trusted by his business partners because he never leaks their secrets.

Terry Gou. Photo via M.I.C. Gadget

Given how jealously Apple guards its own secrets, and how relentlessly it pursues those who spill them, what are the chances that Gou would say anything -- ever -- about an unannounced Apple product, real or imagined?

I'd say, nil.

So what was the source for this latest iTV story?

It was single item in China Daily -- an English-language newspaper based in Beijing. The dateline is Shanghai. The byline isGao Changxin. The headline reads: "Foxconn plans renewed shift into distribution."

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Anatomy of an iTV rumor

Heel Supports New International Research Prize in Integrative Medicine

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BADEN-BADEN, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The European Society for Integrative Medicine (ESIM), with support from Heel, announces a new international research prize in integrative medicine: the Excellence in Integrative Medicine Research Award. Applicants are asked to submit papers by May 30, 2012.

This international research prize recognizes innovative and outstanding scientific papers in the field of integrative medicine, thus fostering collaboration between conventional and complementary medicine, emphasizes Dr. Ghassan Andraos, Head of Global Medicine at Biologische Heilmittel Heel GmbH.

The ESIM research prize is awarded in two categories: one for clinical investigations, the other for basic research. Each of the two winners will be awarded the sum of 10, 000 euros. Submissions must be based on a scientific manuscript that has either already been published in a peer-reviewed journal in 2011 or 2012 or has been accepted for publication. The jury, which is made up of a selection of international experts in integrative medicine, will rate the papers according to three criteria: innovation, level of relevance and scientific excellence.

The winners of the Excellence in Integrative Medicine Research Awards will be announced at the 5th annual European Conference on Integrative Medicine (ECIM) to be held in Florence, Italy from September 21 to 22. For more information, visit: http://www.ecim-congress.org.

The mission of the European Society for Integrative Medicine is to promote science, research, education and further training, support for medical care and providing advice on policy in the realm of integrative medicine. For these purposes, the Society organizes scientific events and encourages dialog with health-care authorities and institutions.

Heel is a pharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and distributes medicines based on natural substances. As the global leader in homeopathic combination preparations, the company is also a pioneer in the field of scientific research in natural healthcare. In cooperation with academic institutions, Heel actively fosters the concept of integrative medicine and is building the bridge between homeopathy and conventional medicine to improve patient care and health.

Biologische Heilmittel Heel GmbH, with corporate headquarters located in Baden-Baden/Germany and a staff of 1,300, achieved an annual turnover of 196 million euros in 2011 70 percent of it outside of Germany. Heel medicinesare available through subsidiaries and distribution partners in over 50 countries around the world. http://www.heel.com

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Heel Supports New International Research Prize in Integrative Medicine

The £25m IVF doctor: Clinic's profits fuel criticism of the 'human life industry'

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By Neil Sears

PUBLISHED: 17:02 EST, 13 May 2012 | UPDATED: 03:14 EST, 14 May 2012

A controversial fertility doctor has raked in 25million in a single year.

Mohamed Taranissi and his wife received the colossal sum through their IVF clinic, giving fresh evidence to critics who say that the creation of human life has become a multi-million pound industry.

On Saturday the Daily Mail revealed that a human egg agency has offered thousands of Cambridge university students 750 to donate their eggs.

The 25m man: Mohamed Taranissi earned the vast sum as head of London's most successful fertility clinic

Mr Taranassi, 57, and his second wife Elly Fincham, 53, are the owners of the Assisted Reproduction and Gynaecology Centre fertility clinic in London. Rod Stewarts wife Penny Lancaster had their son Aiden after treatment there.

Its reputation has helped the couple build a fortune of 45million, including the newly published dividend of 25million they paid themselves in 2010.

Women pay 150 for an initial consultation and 2,500 for a course of IVF, with other procedures and drugs pushing the cost up higher. Customers are attracted by Mr Taranissis impressive listing at the top of pregnancy league tables for woman under 35 and over 40.

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The £25m IVF doctor: Clinic's profits fuel criticism of the 'human life industry'

Evolution and Bible cannot mix

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By Babu G. Ranganathan

Christian leaders across denominations have compromised with Darwinian evolutionary theory, which has caused havoc of faith for millions. Many Christian leaders argue that God used evolution to create all life. This position is neither biblical nor scientific and opens the door for utter ridicule and disrespect. If Darwinian macro-evolutionary theory is true then any belief in God is nothing more than blind faith because God is not necessary for the process.

The Bible teaches that God began with a perfect creation where there was no suffering and death. There was death of plant life but not life possessing "soul" (i.e. animals and humans). There was even perfect peace and harmony between animals. There were no meat-eating animals in the beginning (Genesis 1:30). Animal and human death did not occur until after man sinned. There was no struggle and survival-of-the-fittest among animals or man in the beginning. Man and all creation, which was placed under man, fell to imperfection, struggle, suffering, and death because of the sin of Adam and Eve, mankind's first parents. All this is opposite to what Darwinian macro-evolutionary theory teaches. Unlike the Bible, the theory of evolution teaches the world was never perfect and the animal kingdom always existed with struggle and suffering and death (extinction). Scripture teaches these conditions came into being after the fall of man - not before!

You cannot mix Darwinian macro-evolution and the Bible. To say God used evolution to create man is in direct contradiction to the doctrine of the Fall of Man because the process of evolution involves struggle, pain, suffering, and death. God did not begin with these or with half-evolved fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, etc. God created a perfect world with complete, fully-functioning, and fully-formed species from the very beginning (i.e. complete fish, complete amphibians, complete reptiles, complete birds, complete mammals, etc.). How could a partially-evolved species survive anyway? It would be unfit for survival. Survival-of-the-fittest wouldn't allow for partially-evolved species with partially-evolved tissues, organs, and biological functions and structures to survive!

More and more evolutionary scientists are abandoning the theory of gradual macro-evolution and are adopting a new theory, "Punctuated Equilibrium" which teaches that life forms changed suddenly, not gradually, by chance from one kind to another as a result of massive random genetic mutations caused by massive random radiation from the environment.

The reason for this big change among evolutionists is because they realize that species cannot survive in a partially evolved state with incomplete traits, tissues, organs, and body functions. A reptile with scales in the process of turning to feathers would not have the function of either trait.

The problem with punctuated equilibria, however, is that it is contrary to what we know about the nature of mutations and radiation. Punctuated equilibrium is nothing more than blind faith.

In Genesis 1, God says 10 different times that all living things must reproduce after their own "kind," not into other kinds! A dog must reproduce a dog. Different varieties of dogs are possible genetically, but they will all still be dogs and not something else.

God placed within the "kinds" the genetic ability for variation and change to adapt to changing environments, but this is not the same as evolution from one kind into another kind as Darwinian macro-evolutionary theory teaches.

All the biological similarities between species are because of a common Designer (God) Who designed similar functions for similar purposes in all the various forms of life, not because of a common ancestry as evolutionists teach.

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Evolution and Bible cannot mix

Book suggestions for future cosmetic chemists, aestheticians and make-up artists | Joanne Manaster – Video

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13-05-2012 13:48 Joanne provides suggestions of books to read and refer to in order to understand the ingredients found in household items and in particular, those found in cosmetics, hair care and skin care. If you are serious about understanding the science behind these products, these books will give you a good start. A different type of video in that I filmed this with my webcam and less than optimal lighting. More videos about the science behind your favorite products coming soon. Why There's Antifreeze in Your Toothpaste: The Chemistry of Household Ingredients Chemistry Connections: the chemical basis of everyday phenomena Can You Get Hooked on Lip Balm Milady's Skin Care and Cosmetic Ingredients Dictionary The Beauty Brains About Joanne: Website-- Twitter-- http Google+-- Video content © 2012 Joanne Manaster

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Book suggestions for future cosmetic chemists, aestheticians and make-up artists | Joanne Manaster - Video

Between Brown, Romney, support but little chemistry

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To get that job done, I need to get Scott Brown on the reform team, Romney declared, as the crowd burst into chants of We want Brown!

At that point, they agreed on virtually every major issue - opposing gay marriage, abolishing bilingual education, rolling back taxes, instituting the death penalty, cutting budgetary waste and inefficiency.

But despite the stage they shared that day, Brown and Romney never developed more than a passing political partnership, according to friends and associates. As Browns star has risen as a moderate proud of his bipartisan appeal, and Romney has worked hard to court the Republican base in his bids for the presidency, their paths have diverged, and their relationship has become more complicated as a result.

Brown no longer features Romney on his website or in his political ads, as he did in that 2004 race. Now, he advertises the three times when he has stood behind President Obama at the White House as Obama has signed Browns bills into law.

Browns campaign is also working subtly to distance him from Romney, whose sagging popularity in Massachusetts could make him a liability for Brown.

The Brown campaign declined to make the senator available to discuss his relationship with Romney and instead issued a statement declaring that Brown is his own person who doesnt line up entirely with any political party or candidate. Included with the statement was an analysis boasting of how many times Brown voted to override Romneys vetoes in the Legislature.

Brown did, however, endorse Romney for president last year as soon as the former governor made it clear he was running again. And Democrats are trying to make hay out of the relationship. A Web ad released by the Massachusetts Democratic Party calls them BFF - best friends forever - and shows clips of them yukking it up and praising each other at political events.

Brown also employs the same campaign advisers as Romney, making their pas de deux all the more intriguing to political insiders.

Those who know both men say they respect and admire each other but could hardly be called friends who get together off the campaign trail.

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Between Brown, Romney, support but little chemistry

History, Heartbreak And 'The Chemistry Of Tears'

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In Peter Carey's new novel, The Chemistry of Tears, the hero and the heroine are separated by 150 years. It is an object a piece of technology that brings Catherine and Henry together: An enormous, 19th-century, mechanical duck.

Catherine, a horologist an expert on the inner workings of clocks is restoring it in the present day. It's a distraction from the sudden death of her married lover. Henry, more than a century earlier, commissions the duck as a giant toy for his beloved, but very sick child.

As the two narratives unfold, the duck becomes a swan, and many of its inner workings are revealed. This is not exactly true for the difficult, mysterious characters who populate the book. Carey, a two-time Booker Prize winner, talks with NPR's Rachel Martin about his 12th novel.

On humans as inventors and victims of technology:

"I began thinking about how all of that wonderful, bright invention of the 19th century and the Industrial Revolution and before that demonstrates human beings as playful and inventive and capable of amazing things, and how all of that has really led us to the present plight we face on the planet, where we appear to be poisoning ourselves. So that's the relationship between humans and technology, in which the humans are at once the pure inventors and pure souls and then also the victims of technology."

On the use of a dual narrative:

"I was interested in the present, and I was interested in the past. And the only reason I'm ever really interested about the past is because of its effect on the present. And although part of this book is set in the 19th century, with characters living in the 19th century, we, too, are living in the consequences of the 19th century. So, it's really quite simple in this case. I mean, you have one character who's living in 2010 and one character who's living in 1858, and these are ways to know them directly, to know them from inside."

On tears and combining science and feeling:

"I shouldn't really admit this, but what the title came from was a Google search. Because I thought, I don't know anything about tears, but I bet you they do all sorts of things I don't know about. And indeed, they do."

"It seemed to me to encapsulate the book, in the sense that we are looking at human yearning and human pain and loss and fear of death and searches for other meanings. And at the same time, the notion of chemistry, which seems to sort of go against the feeling of things. So I wanted to combine science and feeling, I suppose."

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History, Heartbreak And 'The Chemistry Of Tears'

App Wrap: "Leonardo Da Vinci: Anatomy" and "Blueprints 3D"

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YNN highlights the coolest and newest apps for your cell phone or mobile device in the twice-weekly segment App Wrap. YNNs Adam Balkin filed the following report.

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Leonardo Da Vinci: Anatomy There's a good chance you've seen the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci, but now a new app lets people fully appreciate what makes them so amazing. The "Leonardo da Vinci: Anatomy" app lets users pour over every single one of his 268 detailed drawings of the human body.

They can zoom in to see just how detailed Leonardo got, and some of the drawings have even been turned into 3-D models, for users to better understand just how well he understood anatomy more than 500 years ago.

If that doesn't help, there are also expert interviews to lay out why they are so impressed with how accurate his sketches are.

Users can also get close on his well-documented "mirror image" notes, view them with a virtual mirror and translate them.

"Leonardo da Vinci: Anatomy," which was created to coincide with an exhibit of his drawings at the Queens Gallery in Buckingham Palace, is an iPad app for $13.99.

Blueprints 3D From blueprints of the human body to actual blueprints, there is now a game called "Blueprints 3D." Users choose a category from architecture to electronics to space to animals.

What they then see as they begin a level is a bunch of scattered lines, and the goal is to twist and rotate the lines so that they are in the perfect place to recreate a blueprint of something, from the Statue of Liberty to a hamster. Users do not know what it is they are done.

There are three levels that make the app increasingly harder.

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App Wrap: "Leonardo Da Vinci: Anatomy" and "Blueprints 3D"